Meat Loaf on the Rigors of Touring: ‘I Outweigh Jagger by About 100 Pounds’

Meat Loaf is retiring from the road. The American rocker says his Last at Bat Tour -- which begins on Friday (April 5) in Newcastle, U.K. - will be his final tour. Previously he'd only hinted that the run of dates would be his final European tour, but during a recent interview he admitted his health his holding him back.

"I just don't want to travel anymore," Meat Loaf (real name, Marvin Lee Aday) told Reuters. He's spent 35 years on the road, releasing 12 album along the way with another planned for the future. "I outweigh (Rolling Stones frontman Mick) Jagger by about 100 pounds and that counts for something. He hasn't seen the wear and tear."

In November Meat Loaf underwent knee replacement surgery, and Reuters reports he is scheduled to have a procedure on his other knee shortly. In recent years he's had to miss shows for a vocal chord cyst, and collapsed on stage.

Only 17 dates remain on the singer's official touring schedule, beginning with Friday's date in Newcastle, U.K. The final show is scheduled for May 17 in Dublin, Ire. The first half of each show will feature his biggest hits, and the second half will find the singer recreating his 'Bat Out of Hell' album in order. He said he may still perform, perhaps in Las Vegas, after his upcoming 'Brave and Crazy' album is released.